Our first look!

After the offload, the Marlow team spent the next 3 days bringing the three new Marlows around to their Snead Island yard to begin commissioning. These first few pictures above are when they docked in Marathon and Boca Grande Marina on the way around from the port.

Leslie and I gave them a day to get Steppin’ Out cleaned up from her long journey and “decluttered” on the inside before finally making our way to the yard to step aboard for the very first time. I have to say, the anticipation was unlike anything I’ve felt before! We couldn’t sleep the night before. Eating was an afterthought and our stomachs were twisted in knots with excitement! I guess the best way I could describe it was like rolling up every Christmas morning you had as a child into one single moment and it was finally here! After working so hard, for so many years, and watching our “dream boat” come to life over the last 22 months thru just pictures; we were finally going to get a chance to walk aboard for the very first time!

I’ll be honest, I couldn’t take pictures on that first walk-thru. I just wanted to be in the moment when we first walked aboard to take in the sights, smells and texture’s that we were seeing for the very first time! I knew we couldn’t duplicate that moment and I didn’t want the distraction of a camera. Fortunately, or broker – Rod, had his phone and captured a few pics of the day! I’m pretty certain there were a few tears as we first walked aboard and into the salon. The emotions were off the charts as we saw Steppin’ Out with our eyes for the very first time!

We spent hours that day walking through every square inch of Steppin’ Out! First the salon, then the galley before heading below to the staterooms. Next up was the command bridge before saving my favorite spot on the boat for last … the engine room!! They had to bring us lunch cause we didn’t want to leave! We opened every cabinet & door that we could find. Sat down on every cushion, touched every countertop and turned on every faucet! We were absolutely struck with the beauty of the woodwork throughout the boat. It was just magnificent; the grains, colors & joinery were amazing and we felt like we were inside a 3D piece of art. The amount of skill it takes to craft the teak like they did was incredible to us and made us so glad we chose Marlow to build this dream for us!

Now that we had a chance to get aboard for the first time, the commissioning work begins in earnest. This is the process of completing all of the final touches that weren’t done at the factory. All of our electronics had to be brought on-line and calibrated. Each of the appliances had to be turned on and checked out one by one. This process can take 60-90 days depending on how much is left to do and any issues that come up that need to be addressed. Stay tuned as we take you through the process. Welcome Aboard!